The Battles We Face
by Sexidebater
Summary: We have have battles that we must face. Often facing them at great costs. This is the battle Hermione and Draco must face together. Separate they fail, together they fail. There is no winning. Dramione, written in honor of the 21st Anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. 3-shot
1. Chapter 1

**So I realized that I missed the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Usually, I try to write one heartbreaking, totally fucked story dealing with the battle so I can break all your little hearts for my amusement. Well here is this year's story! It will be in multiple parts. Not a terribly long fic, like, maybe 3 parts! Sorry it's late! I was without computer! Enjoy! (You won't!)**

Hermione Granger was definitely a different sort of girl, she was proud and smart, kind but fierce. She never backed down, and she never believed that any cause was hopeless.

At least, almost no causes.

Draco Malfoy was an exception.

Since she had met him, he had been nothing but a prat to her. So Hermione wrote him off as a hopeless case.

That is until sixth year when everything changed.

Everything was falling apart in Hermione's world. Harry was depressed over Sirius and obsessed with Malfoy. Ron was obsessed with Lavender, leaving Hermione feeling alone at school. Both of her friends were obsessed with something and those somethings didn't pertain to Hermione in anyway whatsoever.

Hermione threw herself into her school work and prefect duties. She started trading rounds shifts with other students just so she would have something to do when she finished studying. She was no longer doing the boys' potion homework so she suddenly found herself with a lot of free time.

And that is how she became Draco Malfoy's semi-regular rounds partner.

The first night resulted in an argument between the two over how many points to dock a Slytherin-Gryffindor pairing who had been caught by the quidditch pitch. Draco wanted to do it unevenly, Hermione argued with him. He muttered how Ravenclaw prefect didn't care.

Hermione ignored him and properly docked ten points from each house. Draco wanted to dock five from Slytherin and fifteen from Gryffindor. Hermione didn't allow it.

Their next few rounds together were uneventful. They barely talked and if they did it was about a school assignment or if they had heard a sound. Even then, the talking was minimum.

One day though, Draco surprised her.

"Why is Potter stalking me?" He asked.

"Why should I know? It's not like he talks to me much anymore." Hermione shot back, not wanting to give away Harry's true purpose.

"That's bullshit and you know it. You know why he's stalking me. And I intend to know why."

"What's it matter, Malfoy? Just let him do this. He's grieving."

Draco stopped walking and grabbed her forearm, stopping her in place and forcing her to face him, "I will not be trifled with Granger. I am not the same person that I was last year or the year before. Unless you want Scar-Head to be cursed again, you'll tell me why the prat is stalking me non-stop."

Hermione's eyes widened and she snatched her arm back. "What are you getting at Malfoy? Are you threatening us?"

"Yes, yes I am Granger. I have been sent on a mission to do something terrible and either you stay out of my way, or you will also die. Pass that onto scarhead for me will ya?"

Hermione was at a loss for words and simply nodded.

Draco resumed walking and Hermione took a second to compose herself before following. Her mind was racing. She had to tell Dumbledore.

**Next Morning**

Right after breakfast, Hermione approached the teachers table and walked straight to the headmaster.

"Headmaster, I need to speak to you in private." She said quietly.

Dumbledore looked down at her from his half-moon spectacles, "Yes my dear. We can go now. I'll write you a note."

Dumbledore led her out of the Great Hall and to the great gargoyle who guarded the staircase.

"Cauldron Cakes," Dumbledore said with confidence.

The spiraling staircase revealed itself and Dumbledore stepped onto it, followed by Hermione.

Once safely in the privacy of the office, Dumbledore motioned for Hermione to sit. She sat in the seat across from the desk, quickly followed by him taking his seat.

"What did you want to talk about Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes sparkling with all the secrets he kept.

"Draco Malfoy, sir. I was on rounds with him last night and he told me that he's been sent on a mission to do a terrible thing, and that either Harry stays out of his way, or Harry will get hurt. I just felt like I needed to tell you this information right now because it might be important. I don't want Harry to get hurt. Harry has been borderline stalking Draco all semester since we saw him at Borgin and Burkes over the summer, doing Merlin knows what with a group of suspected Death Eaters. I'm just so worried Headmaster. And I'm tired. I'm tired of Harry always being in the middle of things."

Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds, thinking of what to say and how to say it.

"Miss Granger, you are not of age, so usually I would not tell you classified Order intelligence, but things have escalated and with you being in such close proximity to young Mr. Malfoy, I feel it is imprudent to tell you such things. Mr. Malfoy has taken the mark. He did so last summer. Professor Snape told me about it as soon as the ceremony was over. And I know all about Mr. Malfoy's mission."

"Will you tell me about it Headmaster? Or am I not to know?" Hermione asked desperately.

"Mr. Malfoy has been tasked with killing me by the end of the school year." Dumbledore said calmly.

Hermione paled, "But, Headmaster. If you know this, what are you doing to stop it?"

"Nothing my dear." he replied. Dumbledore stood and began pacing back and forth behind his desk. "I have accepted that I will die. That is okay. I am not a young man anymore. I have seen a lot. Done a lot. Good things. Terrible things. I did those things to hopefully leave a better wizarding world than the one I came into. I do not know if I made the right choices at times, but I accept that I made them and I will stand by them. And right now, one of my choices is to die by the hands of a sixteen year old wizard. I have a measure in place to make it so that Draco will not turn out to be a killer, because I know that deep down, he is not a killer. But my time to die is coming soon, and Draco will play an important role in it. I ask that you do not tell Mr. Potter. Ultimately, it is your decision on whether or not to tell him, but I sincerely hope you will not. Mr. Potter has seen and dealt with a lot in his short time on this earth. I do not wish to burden him further with the truth. He will ultimately try to change my future, and I do not want that. My plan will only work if I die."

"But sir, we need you."

"Ahhh, that's where you are wrong Miss Granger. I am not needed. In my wake, I leave behind many competent wizards, like Mr. Potter, and witches, like yourself, who shall see the end of Voldemort. You must accept my death my dear. It is the only way we can win. I know it seems like I use Harry as a pawn sometimes, but I promise I don't. I'm the pawn, he's the king. Sometimes you must sacrifice a pawn for the king."

"That sounds like something Ron would say."

"Mr. Weasley is wise when it comes to chess."

"So what do I do in the meantime Headmaster? I want to protect Harry from harm and stop Voldemort. What do I do?"

"You do nothing my dear. Let things play as they are supposed to play. I say again, the only way to win the war is with my death. Let that happen. If you truly want to help, then help me speed things along. Draco Malfoy is working on repairing what is called a Vanishing Cabinet, and he needs help. Help him however you can. He is a brilliant boy, but he might need some advice. Help me end this war by starting it Miss Granger."

"Sir, that means I would be helping the enemy."

"I want you to take a mental step back Miss Granger, and look at the bigger picture. Right now, I am the only thing that keeps Voldemort at bay. He fears me. If I were to die, he'd come further out into the open. The Battle of the Ministry forced him into the spotlight, but it didn't force him into the open. If he thinks that the one person who could stop him is gone, then he will reveal himself further, making himself vulnerable. I cannot stop him Miss Granger. Harry can though. Voldemort underestimates Harry. That is why he is messing with Harry's mind, to make Harry doubt himself, and if that happens, then we are to lose. Harry thinks and hopes that I will solve the Voldemort problem before he has to; he is wrong. In order to get Harry into the mindset of defeating Voldemort, I must die. I only stand in the way of Harry's true destiny. I ask of you, do not tell Harry of Draco's true plans, and if at all possible, help Draco. Let me die Miss Granger."

"Are you sure this is the only way Headmaster?" Hermione asked slowly.

"It is the only way." Dumbledore sighed. He took his seat again and folding his hands in front of him, resting his head on his hands.

Hermione nodded, "Understood Headmaster. I don't like your plan, but I trust you and your reasoning. I will help Draco however I can. What can I do to prep Harry?"

"Look up Horcruxes. You might connect the significance, you might not. But if you do, please do not tell Harry yet. Let everything come into play naturally."

"Understood sir. Do you want me to keep you updated on Draco's progress?"

"Yes. Professor Snape already is, but it would not hurt to have a second set of eyes. I will tell Professor Snape of our conversation, just so he is in the know. Please, trust Professor Snape. He has his own set of private orders from me. I cannot tell you what they are, but he has a role to play in this; let him play his role."

Hermione nodded and tears began to prick her eyes, "My apologies Headmaster. This is just all so much."

"Take the morning off and just go to your afternoon classes. You need some time to process everything I just told you. I would suggest you take off the day, but I know you value learning too much to miss out on all your classes." Dumbledore said with a sad smile, a twinkle in his eye. He grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled a note on it. He pressed his wand against it and it disappeared with a poof. "I have just messaged your morning class teachers that you will be missing their periods. Take the morning to yourself. I know you need to plan."

Hermione nodded and sniffled, "Thank you sir. Actually, I would like to take the entire day off. I need to go to the library. I feel as if these are my new orders and I need to prepare."

"Understood. Feel free to come to me with any questions or concerns."

"Thank you sir." Hermione said. She stood, wiped her eyes, and left his office silently, her mind lost in thought as she accepted the death of Dumbledore months before it was to happen.

She decided to focus all her strength on her mission. Help Draco Malfoy kill Albus Dumbledore.

**So I have been playing with this idea for years. A story where Hermione actively helps Draco. I won't give much away except that this will be a Dramione pairing and it will kill you! I will finish it ASAP. I don't have a laptop but I'm up all night tonight cause there is no point in me sleeping and have my phone. So I will do what I can! Review, favorite, follow!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I thought this chapter wasn't done yet, but apparently it is, I like where it ends! So here you go! I hope you enjoy!**

****Chapter 2****

Draco Malfoy was a meticulous boy. All through his life, he was peculiar about how he did things; always thinking before he spoke, planning out his next five moves before his opponent could plan one move. He was a perfectionist, researching heavily before making a single move or plan.

He had been like that since a child.

And it killed him that no matter how hard he studied and prepared, Hermione Granger always bested him in grades, and Harry Potter always bested him in Quidditch. Both from the muggle world, exceeding in the wizarding world.

It ate Draco up inside, and the bitterness grew. It was part of the reason he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Dark Lord's cause.

The other part was because he admired his father. Key word, admired. There was no admiration anymore. Ever since Diggory had died, Draco was becoming disenchanted, going strictly through the motions. The blood and gore was becoming too much for him.

And now he had an impossible task, kill Dumbledore.

And Hermione Granger was just making it harder.

He had been infatuated with the woman since first year. The bright, braining, bossy woman had entered his mind and hadn't escaped through their entire school year. He was constantly chasing some aspect of her, whether it be her grades, her behavior, or her physically. It was always something.

And now her best friend, the mindless twit Potty, was following him non-stop; it was just another stressor added to him.

He just wanted everything to stop so he could catch his breath. Relax. Not be so wound up all the fucking time.

It didn't help that the last time that he got laid was almost a year ago right before the inquisition squad had come to be. Going solo was getting boring and it had been one of the few stress reliefs that Draco had left. Now it was basically gone.

He was in the Room of Requirement working on the stupid cabinet as he loving referred to it as, when he hit a set back, again. He pointed his wand at a mannequin with a wig and tiara on it's head and fired an exploding the curse. The stupid thing stayed as it was, further infuriating him.

He couldn't even fire a damn exploding curse right, how would he be able to kill one of the most powerful wizards of all time?

He started to cry, weeping opening; wishing he were someone else. Anyone else, even a muggle. An oblivious, helpless muggle.

A few hours later, he called it a day, having made almost no progress with the cabinet, and he sunk into his bed, where he laid awake for hours, thinking back to rounds he had had with Hermione Granger.

He had threatened her, and the next day she went straight to Dumbledore. He was waiting for the Aurors to come storming in take him away at any moment, but that moment never came.

It was curious to Draco.

His next round with Hermione was met with silence at first until she spoke up.

"I know your mission." She said quietly.

"No you don't."

"Yes I do." Hermione said smartly.

"Then what is it?" Draco growled

"You are to kill Dumbledore."

Draco stopped in his tracks, "How do you know?"

Hermione realized her mistake, giving herself away too soon. It was all or nothing now.

"Dumbledore told me. He knows everything. I won't tell you how, but he has spies of his own."

Draco growled, "What is everything."

Hermione approached him and pushed up his sleeve, revealing his mark, "Everything."

Draco sighed, "I assume you're going to tell Potty that he's right?"

"No. Because this is between you, me, and Dumbledore. Nobody else. Dumbledore wants me to help you actually."

"He does? Why?"

"Because he plan involves his death. I know you're reluctant about all of this, but I'm on orders from Dumbledore to assist you. I know we're on opposite sides, but I think we can both agree that we need to exacerbate things. Bring this war to a quicker end."

Draco nodded, "I do need help. You're probably the only one who CAN help me. I'm trying to repair a vanishing cabinet and I keep on hitting roadblocks. I don't know what to do next."

Hermione took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, "Let's go look at it. Yes, now."

Draco huffed and led her to the Room of Requirement where he paced in front of the wall three times for the door to appear. He lead her in and revealed the vanishing cabinet for her. Hermione began to perform various diagnostic spells that she had learned from books.

"What have you tried?" Hermione asked.

Draco pulled out a book from within his rooms, "Almost half of this book." He replied. He handed her the book.

It was titled, "_The Care and Maintenance of Vanishing Cabinets, the Greatest Weapon Against the Darkest Wizard._"

Hermione internally shuddered when she read the title. This book was written to protect the innocent from Voldemort and now it was being used to help him. Hermione felt sick and tears prickled her eyes. It was an internal battle she was having, trying to decide if she was to continue to follow Dumbledore's orders, or just tell Harry.

For the best of Harry, she decided to follow orders.

"Can I borrow this to read it?" Hermione asked.

"Go ahead. I have another copy." Draco said, sounding defeated.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked softly.

Draco looked up at her, his bangs partially covering his eyes, "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Then come over to our side."

"The Dark Lord will kill my mother if I do that. It isn't an option." Draco said darkly.

Hermione looked at him sadly, "You can both go into hiding."

"Won't work like that."

Hermione nodded and squared her shoulders, "Well, let's finish rounds so I can get to reading. We have a war to quicken."

Thus began a tentative friendship between the two. After rounds each week, they would sneak into the Room of Requirement and work on the cabinet.

Slowly, it came to fruition, and slowly it began to work.

As time went on, their friendship grew and they were joking around about their teachers. Then one fateful day, Draco made things harder between the two of them.

Hermione tripped over an old broom that didn't fly anymore and Draco barely caught her. He was holding onto her arm when Hermione took a step closer to him, invading his personal space to the enth degree. She looked up at him through hooded eyes and Draco looked down at her.

He wasn't thinking when he did it. He wasn't thinking when he kissed her lips softly but firmly. And he definitely wasn't thinking when Hermione kissed him back ferociously.

Hermione kissed him as if her kiss could save him from his fate. But his destiny was sealed. He was the enemy and no outpour of emotion from Hermione could change that.

His hand snaked into her bushy mane of hair, gripping it tightly as he pulled her close to his body. She was his saving grace.

When they separated, sparks were flying between them, and they didn't stay apart for long. Draco crashing his lips back against hers, pushing her back against the cabinet. Hermione's arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers tangled themselves in his messy locks.

When they finally separated, they went on as if it hadn't happened; the worked in almost silence, only speaking to say spells.

When they parted that night, Draco grabbed her before she left the room and kissed her again.

"Whatever that was," Hermione said softly, her face buried in his chest, "It cannot mean anything."

"You're lying to yourself. It means something, and that something is everything." Draco replied, tilting her chin up so he could look at her face, "This is the worst timing ever."

"No kidding," Hermione said breathlessly.

He kissed her again, unable to get enough. Hermione responded in kind. Her body sung every time he touched her. She wanted more, but denied herself that pleasure.

She pulled away, "Defect."

"I can't. My mother."

"Then we're at an impasse."

"Yes, yes we are."

Hermione sniffled and fled the room. She ran down the corridor and stopped to hide in an alcove where she kept her sobbing to a minimum.

Something she had never expected was about to be torn away.

Draco stayed in the room where he kicked the initial broomstick that started it all. He then set it on fire. Watching it burn only made him angrier. All he was good at was destruction. He was a hurricane, a force of nature to be reckoned with; and he hated being that way.

**Hope you enjoyed this. I'll work on the third chapter when I have time, I just have to get back to actual work right now. I'm trying to get out of here quickly because I have to stay late to clean, which super duper sucks.  
Review, follow, and favorite!**


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